MEDIA: dimensional Weaving
Martina’s website: martinacelerin.com
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MAP TO Martina’S STUDIO: 1704 Ruby Ln., Bloomington, IN 47401
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CONTACT: mc01@martinaCelerin.com or 812-219-0647
II am a fiber artist based in Bloomington, Indiana, known for creating highly tactile, three-dimensional “weaving-felting fusions” using traditional techniques and reclaimed materials.
Born in Prague, Czech Republic, I immigrated to Canada as a child. Before transitioning to art full-time in 2002, I pursued a career in science, earning a doctoral degree in plant sciences from the University of Western Ontario and later moving to Bloomington for a postdoctoral position as a molecular geneticist at Indiana University.
Though my academic background is in science, I have always created art. Dissatisfied with the flatness of traditional oil pastels and acrylic painting, I turned to fiber arts to physically build my own three-dimensional canvases. Today, my high-relief tapestries serve as visual stories, drawing deep inspiration from nature, my travels, and local Bloomington life—including family fishing trips and visits to our local farmers’ market.
The Studio Experience
My art studio is a balance of contrast, harmony, and a collection of everyday life. Rather than a sterile workspace, it functions as a vibrant, organized archive of textures and found objects waiting to be integrated into my pieces. Visitors can view my creative environment during this year’s Bloomington Open Studios Tour.
What You’ll See in the Studio:
- Yarns: Skeins of every weight, color, and texture, often recovered as scrap from local weavers and knitters.
- Natural Elements: Jars of crinoid fossils, seashells, weathered rocks, and driftwood gathered from nearby Indiana lakeshores.
- Reclaimed Artifacts: Containers filled with beads, discarded vintage jewelry from around the world, and rusted accent pieces.
- Structural Materials: melamine dishes, vintage globes, disentangled wires, and adorable postal scales – all used to push the dimensional limits of my wall art.
Signature Techniques & Process
My weaving-felting fusions rely on a multi-step, mixed-media process that breaks traditional textile rules to achieve high-relief, tactile canvases. I build my own textured backdrops and then sculpt directly onto or through them using distinct fiber techniques:
- Non-Conventional Weaving Base: I utilize simple nail looms to construct a custom canvas. Instead of following strict tapestry guidelines, I mix yarn weights, strands, and unusual materials (like wire and jute rope) to weave variable thicknesses directly into the foundation.
- Soumak Weaving: I use a lot of Soumak technique, a wrapping form of weaving that creates raised loops of yarn. This structural weave provides an ideal anchor for subsequent layers.
- Needle Felting: Using specialized barbed needles, I punch loose wool roving into the woven base. This interlocks the fibers, allowing me to flatten certain areas, add localized color shading, or build independent 3D structures like lifelike fruits and vegetables.
- Wet Felting: I create larger structural details—such as hollow vessels, solid spheres, or long strands—by agitating wool fleece with hot water and soap. I often manipulate fiber layers over a resist (thin, closed-cell foam) to create dimensional textures and allow underlying colors to peek through the surface.
- Dimensional Crochet & Embroidery: To add extreme depth and crisp outlines, I incorporate dimensional crochet directly onto the woven base. Heavy embroidery stitching is used to secure separate elements and add fine line work.
- Object Integration: I physically weave actual found objects (keys, vintage jewelry, seed packets, or shells) directly into the warp as weft, treating raw objects as literal representations of themselves
